Japanese

Welcome to UL’s Japanese Section! In our modules, you will gain the basic skills for life in Japan. Through language learning, you will also deepen your understanding of Japanese culture, society and literature. 

皆さん、リムリック大学の日本語学科へようこそ！モジュールでは、日本での生活に必要な日本語力を育成することを目的としています。日本語学習を通して、日本の文化や社会・文学への理解を深めることができます。   

日本語を学んで、可能性を広げよう - Learn Japanese, broaden your horizons 

Japanese in UL: 

In 1990, the University of Limerick was second in Ireland to introduce Japanese at undergraduate level. Since then, UL has established itself as the major Japanese language and culture hub in the Midwest. 

The Japanese Section offers dynamic and engaging classes. We have an excellent track record of helping students acquire high-level language skills (B2-C1 CEFR / N3-N2 JLPT), and a sound knowledge of Japanese culture and society. Japanese language modules are mostly taught in Japanese, using up-to-date teaching methods,resources and educational technologies. 

Smaller class sizes allow us to provide individual support and guidance. We pride ourselves on our commitment to student-centred, practical teaching and learning. You don’t just learn Japanese, but you actually live it through collaborative, hands-on projects linked to real-life events. In your final year, you also receive training in translation and consecutive interpreting. 

The Japanese Section fosters transferable skills, such as oral and written communication, presentation skills, digital literacy and time management, all of which are highly valuable in other areas of, and beyond, your studies. 

Why Japanese? 

Japanese may be different to any other language and culture you are familiar with. At the same time, it shares many similarities with Ireland. They are both island nations with strong literary, musical and sports traditions, export-oriented economies and have similar communication styles. 

Spoken Japanese is not as difficult as you may think. Grammar rules and sentence structure are regular, there is no grammatical gender and the phonetic system is quite simple. With consistency and dedication, Japanese could be your passport into a whole new culture, way of life and way of thinking that most never experience. 

As of 2026, Japan is the fourth largest economy in the world, and major names in a variety of sectors such as Mitsubishi, Canon and Toyota have entered the Irish market. An increasing number of Irish companies are also doing business in Japan, many of them supported by the IDA, which has operated in the Japanese market for over 50 years. 

Research strands/areas: 

• Japanese language education 
• Japanese language pedagogy 
• L2 teacher education 
• L2 pragmatics 
• Modern foreign language policy 

Meet the team: 

https://www.ul.ie/artsoc/mlal/mlal-staff/japanese  

Kaori Frizelle – Winner of Regional Teaching Excellence Award (2024/2025) 

Erika Marcet – AHSS Staff Recognition Award Innovation Champion (2023/2024) 

List of programs: 

* Advanced Japanese is offered in Year 1. From Year 2, students are merged into a single stream. 

Japanese is also available in the following postgraduate course: 

• PMEDUCTFAD - Professional Master of Education 

You can also study Japanese as part of UL’s Language Outreach Programme (non-accredited evening courses). 

Study abroad in Japan: 

Coordinator: Erika Marcet 

Tokyo 

Nagoya 

*Students of the Bachelor of Business may be eligible to apply for their dual degree at Nagoya University of Commerce & Business. For more information, visit: Bachelor Dual Degree | University of Limerick  

Co-op placement in Japan: 

Tutor: Akie Nagahashi 

Kumon Junior & Senior High School (公文国際学園)  

Location: Yokohama 

Tutor: Kaori Frizelle 

Toyoko Inn (東横イン) 

Locations: Tokyo and metropolitan area 

Careers & Further Study: 

Graduates can expect to find employment in a wide range of areas and great variety of professions in both the public and private sectors. These include diplomacy, media, international business, interpreting and localising, translating, tourism, Japanese teaching, English teaching in Japan and coordinator for international relations (JET Programme). Some of our students have also received the fully-funded MEXT Scholarship to pursue their postgraduate studies in Japan. 

Add the following spotlights: 

https://www.ul.ie/news/university-of-limerick-alumni-spotlight-kieron-ryan  

https://www.ul.ie/news/university-of-limerick-alumni-spotlight-katie-clancy  

And also Lily’s testimonial, as in: 

https://www.ul.ie/courses/japanese 

Specific initiatives: 

仲間と力を合わせて、一緒に学びの幅を広げよう - Let’s work together to expand our learning 

Outside of the classroom, we offer support to help you navigate your Japanese language and culture learning journey through a wide range of fun and engaging events.  

Lunchtime Games Club 

The Lunchtime Games Club takes place twice or three times per semester. We invite students of all levels to play a variety of games and practice Japanese. Tomodachi Programme  

Every semester, we connect learners of Japanese with Japanese students of English so they can meet once a week and practice both languages while having fun outside the classroom. 

Mentorship Scheme  

UL is the only university in Ireland member of the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce (IJCC). This offers many advantages to our students, from listening to special guest speakers to attending exclusive business seminars. In their final year, students receive guidance on their future careers  from experienced professionals based in Japan through a structured mentorship scheme. 

Waseda Online Exchange Program 

This programme matches UL students with Japanese speakers at Waseda University for an online language and culture exchange. This is a great way to improve students’ language skills and raise their intercultural awareness while making friends abroad.  

Get or stay in touch with us: 

Instagram  

erika.marcet@ul.ie